Articles 11 and 58 (2) of the 2010 Electoral Law require that both principal and alternate candidate lists in multi-member constituencies for elections to the Lower House (Cámara de Diputados) must include equal numbers of men and women, in alternation. If a list is composed of an odd number of candidates, preference will be given to women. In single-member constituencies, at least 50% of the candidates (principal and alternate) nominated in the total number of constituencies must be women. This new legislation has been applied to the Chamber of Deputies elected in 2014.

Legal sanctions for non-compliance:

Electoral law

The lists of candidates must comply with the requirements of parity and alternation. Breaches of this provision will result in the rejection of the list of candidates. In this case, the political organization shall be notified of the rejection, and should rectify the list of candidates no later than 72 hours from the notification (Article 107).

Rank order/placement rules:

Electoral Law

The names of male and female candidates must alternate (Articles 11 and 58 (2)).

Articles 11 and 54 (2) of the Electoral Law (2010) require that both principal and alternate candidate lists in multi-member constituencies for elections to the Upper House (Senado) must include equal number of men and women, in alternation. In single-member constituencies, at least 50% of the candidates (principal and alternate) nominated in the total number of constituencies must be women. This new legislation has been applied to the Chamber of Senators elected in 2014.

Legal sanctions for non-compliance:

Electoral law

The lists of candidates must comply with the requirements of parity and alternation. Breaches of this provision will result in the rejection of the list of candidates. In this case, the political organization shall be notified of the rejection, and should rectify the list of candidates no later than 72 hours from the notification (Article 107).

Rank order/placement rules:

Electoral law

The names of male and female candidates must alternate (Articles 11 and 54 (2)).

Quota at the Sub-National Level

Quota type:

Legislated Candidate Quotas

Legal source

Details

Quota type:

Legislated Candidate Quotas

Electoral law

Article 11 of the Electoral Law (2010) requires that both principal and alternate candidate lists in multi-member constituencies for elections to district, municipal and regional councils must include equal number of men and women, in alternation. In single-member constituencies, at least 50% of the candidates (principal and alternate) nominated in the total number of constituencies must be women.

Legal sanctions for non-compliance:

Electoral law

The lists of candidates must comply with the requirements of parity and alternation. Breaches of this provision will result in the rejection of the list of candidates. In this case, the political organization shall be notified of the rejection, and should rectify the list of candidates no later than 72 hours from the notification (Article 107).

Voluntary Political Party Quotas*

In Article 31 of its founding statutes from 2003, UN writes that women shall be represented by 50 percent at all levels of the party structures, including candidate lists. This has not always been put into practice.

* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.

Additional information

A quota law for national elections was first introduced in 1997. According to this law, parties were required to include women on their lists of candidates, following the rule that every third candidate on the lists for Chamber of Deputies, and every fourth candidate for the Chamber of Senators, must be a woman. In 2010, the Electoral Law was amended to include the principle of parity, meaning that the number of men and women on the lists of candidates for any elections at the national and sub-national level should be equal (50/50), and that every other candidate on the lists should be a woman. The new law on parity has been applied for the first time in the recent 2014 general elections.